Moving to a different bigger country, was a culture shock to say the least. Tastebuds included. The biggest adjustment was being apart from my family who were always just a stone’s throw away. Fast forward 10 adventure-filled years and I find myself revisiting Spears St, walking down the long(and I mean long) path to this quaint and beautiful corner home.
Whenever I walk this route, I know I am visiting family. I may not have been born into it but I am certainly a part of it. With open arms, the kindness of who were once strangers, turned into a part of my life that has shown me more love, peace and sanity during the cold winters.
This post and recipe is dedicated to this family whose origins are from Portugal. Through my many visits, I have been introduced to a large selection of dishes that have delighted my tongue and belly. Like my upbringing in the kitchen, meats are always seasoned, rice is never plain and wine and beer are a meal’s staple beverage.
While this recipe is not ‘West Indian’ per say, each island’s decendants are from a variety of peoples, who spent some time colonising different Caribbean territories; the Portuguese included. And who am I to deny great food anyway – it’s preposterous!
What I will be sharing with you today is a soup called Caldo Verde. This dish is actually quite simple to make which I believe adds to its deliciousness. At my niece’s baptism there was a debate as to whether it is made with kale or collard greens. I have made it with both, which are equally as good but have seen my Tia (that’s ‘Aunt’ in Portuguese) use collard greens so I decided to do the same this time around. This is not a traditional recipe but close to it and delicious none-the-less.
Caldo Verde
Ingredients
- 1 chorizo sausage link, chopped
- 1 red onion, chopped
- 1/2 cup dry white wine
- 1 5lb bag red-skinned potatoes, chopped
- 1 bunch collard greens, stripped of stems, rolled and sliced thin
- Olive oil
- Salt and Pepper to taste
Instructions
CHOP potatoes, onions and sausages. For collard greens, grab a couple of pieces and lay flat one ontop the other onto your cutting. Start from one end and roll collard green bunch until it forms a roll. Slice roll thinly to form thin discs.
POUR approximatly 2 tablespoons olive oil into large soup pan on medium heat.
BROWN chorizo sausage. Remove from pan. Don't worry about the bits stuck to the bottom, sausage fat will also spring from the chorizo, leave that in the pot.
SAUTE chopped red onion in sausage fat, over medium heat, for 3 minutes. Pour white wine and stir constantly bringing up the delicious 'guck' stuck at the bottom of the pan until onion is soft and translucent.
POUR potatoes in pot and add water until just covered. Bring to a boil seasoning with salt and pepper to taste. When cooked through, use potatoe masher to mash potatoe right in the pot.
ADD sausage and sliced collard greens to pot and simmer until collard greens are cooked through, approximately 30-40minutes.
Notes
After-the-fact Wisdoms:
If soup is too thick, add water by the cup until it has reached desired thickness.
White wine is optional. Gluten-free & MSG free chicken or vegetable stock can be added to dish for added flavour.
Changing the sausage will change the flavour.
If you have any questions about this or other posts, feel free to contact me at pelauisdelicious@gmail.com or comment below!
Bon Appetit.